Now that Fiat has inherited control of the Viper brand (attempts by Chrysler to sell it resulted in a single bid of a paltry $5.5 million), buzz has been circulating about the fate of America’s other sports car. According to our sources, Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne has big plans for the Viper sub-brand. Marchionne thinks Viper has the potential to be to Dodge what Miata is to Mazda—a halo car that transmits the brand’s best attributes, and one that has tremendous marketing potential in car enthusiast/amateur racing circles.

Currently floating through the executive offices in Torino is a plan to fit the Dodge with a V-10 version of the next-generation corporate V-8. This 90-degree engine would be modular top to bottom as well as by cylinder, with a flat-plane crank for the Ferrari V-8, a conventional cross-plane crank for the Maserati V-8, and pushrod-actuated valves for the balance-shafted Viper V-10.

An interesting irony here is that Lamborghini, back when it was in Chrysler’s control, helped to develop the Viper’s aluminum V-10.